Method and apparatus for terminating an optical fiber with a curved bore blocking member

Abstract

An apparatus for terminating an optical fiber includes a resiliently deformable spherical member disposed in contact with a front end of a bore of an optical fiber contact body. Subsequent to softening an adhesive disposed within the contact body bore, an optical fiber is inserted through the bore and the adhesive until the fiber contacts the blocking member and deforms it. The resiliency of the blocking member causes adhesive to be wiped off the front face of the fiber being terminated and into an annulus formed between an outer cylindrical surface of the fiber and an inner cylindrical surface of the bore, and causes the fiber front end to be recessed a predetermined amount from a front end of the contact body.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for terminating an optical fiber, comprising the steps of: blocking a front end of a bore formed within an optical fiber contact body with a bore blocking member, the bore being filled with a solid hardened adhesive; and   softening the adhesive so as to allow an optical fiber to be inserted through the softened adhesive and into the bore; and   inserting an optical fiber through the softened adhesive and the bore such that a front end of the optical fiber contacts and deforms the bore blocking member, the blocking member having a curved shape in a region confronting the front end of the bore and sized so as to sealingly seat against the front end of the bore, such that a front face of the inserted optical fiber is recessed from a front end of the contact body after contacting the blocking member, the curved shaped region of the blocking member being made of a material which is resiliently deformable so that the curved shaped region of the blocking member removes the adhesive from the front face of the optical fiber as the optical fiber contacts and deforms the curved shaped region of the blocking member; and   hardening the adhesive.   
     
     
       2. The method of claim 1, the front end of the bore being blocked with a force sufficiently large such that adhesive is forced within an annulus defined by an outer cylindrical surface of the front end of the optical fiber and an inner cylindrical surface of a front portion of the bore. 
     
     
       3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of removing the blocking member from the front end of the bore subsequent to the adhesive hardening. 
     
     
       4. An apparatus for terminating an optical fiber, comprising: an optical fiber contact body having a bore therein, the bore being sized so as to be able to receive the optical fiber;   a solid hardened adhesive disposed within the bore, the adhesive being softenable to allow the optical fiber to be inserted therethrough and into the bore;   means for blocking a front end of the bore while the optical fiber is inserted therein for termination through the adhesive while it is in its softened state;   the blocking means having a curved shape in a region confronting the front end of the bore and sized so as to sealingly seat against the front end of the bore, such that a front face of an inserted optical fiber will be recessed from a front end of the contact body after contacting the blocking means, the curved shaped region of the blocking means being made of a material which is resiliently deformable so that the curved shaped region of the blocking means is capable of removing the adhesive from the front face of the optical fiber as the optical fiber contacts and deforms the curved shaped region of the blocking means.   
     
     
       5. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising: first force means for urging the curved shaped region of the blocking means against the front end of the bore; and   second force means for urging the optical fiber front face against the curved shaped region of the blocking means.   
     
     
       6. The apparatus of claim 5, the curved shaped region of the blocking means being formed of a radius of curvature and of a material having a resilience such that the front face of the optical fiber is recessed from the front end of the bore a predetermined amount when the optical fiber and the blocking means are urged toward one another by the first and second force means. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of claim 6, forces generated by the first and second force means being determined so that at least some of the adhesive is forced within an annulus between an outer wall of the optical fiber and a front portion of the bore. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of claim 7, the bore having a non-uniform cross-sectional profile, the front portion of the bore being smaller in cross-section than a rear portion of the bore, the adhesive being selected from the group of materials consisting of glass, solder, and a multi-component thermoset. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus of claim 4, the curved shape being convex. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus of claim 4, the curved shape being spherical.